Baseboard heater



Oct. 31, 1961 D. L. RIPLEY BASEBOARD HEATER Filed Aug. 18, 1959 INVENTOR. DUANE L. R/PLEY United States Patent 3,006,266 I BASEBOARD HEATER DuaneL. Ripley, Pittsburgh, Pa., assignor to Edwin L.

' Wiegand Company, Pittsburgh, Pa.

Filed Aug. 18, 1959, Ser. No. 834,569

1 Claim. (Cl. 98-40) My invention relates to baseboard heaters, more particularly to guards for baseboard heaters, and the principal object of my invention is to provide new and improved baseboard heater construction.

Electric baseboard heating is rapidly gaining in popularity for many reasons, some of which are better heat distribution, heat at or near the floor area, better power rates, to name a few. The design of baseboard heaters has improved to a point where the danger of fire is almost completely eliminated in normal use.

The danger still existing is not in the construction or operation of the heater itself but in the fact that curtains, drapes, furniture, and the like are quite frequently disposed close to the heater and, at certain times, may block normal air flow through the heater. When air flow is blocked, the heater temperature will increase since its heat is no longer carried away by the air flow. This is particularly true in electric baseboard heaters.

In some instances, the electric heater has increased in temperature to a point where it has scorched, and even ignited, the matter blocking normal air flow, and this invention has been perfected to eliminate the hazards heretofore involved by blocked heater outlets.

In the drawing accompanying this specification and forming a part of this application, there is shown, for purpose of illustration, and embodiment which my invention may assume, and in this drawing:

FIGURE 1 is a transverse section through a baseboard heater illustrating my invention, and

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of a grille used in the construction of FIGURE 1.

The baseboard heater shown in FIGURE 1 to il1us trate my invention comprises a back panel which is usually in the form of an elongated strip of sheet metal. The back panel is adapted to be disposed along the baseboard area of a room in well known manner. Extending transversely from the back panel and inwardly of the room is an upper overhanging wall 11 which terminates in a rolled lip 12.

The back panel may be secured to the wall of a room by nails or screws in any suitable manner. In the construction illustrated a wire-way section 14 cooperates with the lower end of the back panel 10, the section having angularly disposed vertical and horizontal walls 15 and 16, respectively, which are normally positioned in abutting relationship with the side wall and the floor of the room to be heated.

The wire-way section is adapted to contain the current conducting wires if the baseboard heater is electric, or pipes, if the heater is hot water or steam, and a sheet metal cover plate 17 serves the two fold purpose of closing the section 14 and of providing an inlet air guiding surface.

A front panel 18 is disposed forwardly of the back panel 10 and is held in such forward position by a plurality of transversely extending sheet metal brackets 19, only one of which is shown in FIGURE 1. Upper and lower margins of the front panel 18 terminate in rolled lips 20 and the brackets 19 are provided with spaced toes 21 over which the lips 20 are sprung to removably hold the front panel assembled with the brackets 19. Each bracket also has a toe 22 over which the rolled lip 12 of the upper Wall 11 is sprung.

Disposed within the space between the panels 10 and 18 is the heating means 23. In the presently disclosed embodiment, sheathed electric resistance heaters, such as of the type shown in the patent to E. L. Wiegand, No. 2,272,282, are used as the heat generating element, each of the heaters being shown as enclosed in a tubular closefitting housing 24 formed integral with or connected to a deflecting plate 25. Upper and lower portions 26, 27 are bent forwardly to cooperate with adjoining parts to direct incoming and outgoing air.

It will be noted that the curled lip 12 of the upper wall 11 and the upper curled lip 20 of the front panel 18 are in spaced, generally parallel relation and define therebetween an outlet 28 for the heated air. It is highly desirable that this outlet be kept open at all times so that air may freely move from the inlet 29, through the baseboard heater, and outwardly of the outlet 28, otherwise the heat generating elements will overheat and present a dangerous condition.

My invention provides a guard for protecting the outlet 28 and, in the embodiment herein disclosed, the guard comprises a grille 30, which is detachably connected to the heater and which is first abutted by any matter such as drapes, curtains, furniture and the like, and thereby protects the outlet 28 against closure.

As best seen in FIGURE 2, the grille herein disclosed is formed of a pair of elongated wires 31, 31 connected in spaced, parallel relationship by means of a plurality of cross-wires 32 which provide spring fingers. The wires 32 are preferably U-shaped and have their bights 33 extending cross-wise of and connected to lengthwise extending wires 31, 31. The connection may be effected in any suitable manner, such as welding, brazing, or the like.

The legs 34 of each wire 32 form the spring fingers and these legs are contracted to permit them to enter the space defined by the outlet 28, and are thereafter permitted to expand into gripping engagement with the lips 12 and 20. The extremities of the legs 34 are preferably curved, as shown at 35, to follow the contour of the lips 12 and 20 and therefore offer resistance to Withdrawal of the grille unless the legs 34, 34 are contracted.

It will be obvious that the grille 30 may be easily connected to or disconnected from the heater and that the grille accomplished, in economical manner, the safety feature of holding curtains, drapes, furniture, and the like from blocking the outlet opening 28. In short baseboard heaters, the grille 30 may be made of the same length as the outlet opening 28. In longer heaters, several grilles may be used in series relationship to guard the outlet opening.

In view of the foregoing it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that I have accomplished at least the principal object of my invention and it will also be apparent to those skilled in the art that the embodiment herein described may be variously changed and modified, without departing from the spirit of the invention, and that the invention is capable of uses and has advantages not herein specifically described; hence it will be appreciated that the herein disclosed embodiment is illustrative only, and that my invention is not limited thereto.

I claim:

A baseboard heater, comprising an elongated back panel adapted to be disposed along the baseboard area of a room, said back panel having an upper overhanging wall extending outwardly therefrom and terminating in a rolled lip, an elongated front panel, bracket means for holding said front panel spaced forwardly of said back panel, the upper margin of said front panel terminating in a rolled lip which is parallel to but spaced from the lip of said back panel, said lips defining therebetween an outlet for heated air, and a grille overlying and pro- Patented Oct. 31, 1961 tecting said outlet, said grille comprising a plurality of spaced wires extending lengthwise of said outlet and a plurality of U-shaped wires each having its bight connected to and extending cross-wise of said spaced wires, the legs of said U-shaped wires providing spring fingers which are contracted to enter the opening between said spaced lips and thereafter permitted to expand into gripping engagement with said lips.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Gough Mar. 11, Clemons Apr. 13, Trane Dec. 15, Newton Jan. 24, Hayes June 18, 

